Xiao let out a sigh and slowly said, "I am neither a lucky star who brings wealth and protects people's health, nor one of the exalted immortals who commands adeptal arts and dwells high in Jueyun Karst."
"Anyone who encounters me is someone in mortal peril, with little chance of survival."
"No one would like an Adeptus whose very appearance heralds disaster. In mortal terms, that makes me a jinx, a walking calamity."
Xiao looked somewhat forlorn as he spoke.
Xiu Yuan was probably the only person who had ever heard him say such things.
He usually endured these things in silence and worked through them himself, never speaking of them to anyone else.
"Fuck that walking calamity bullshit!" Xiu Yuan swore outright.
"You didn't bring those disasters on them. What the hell do they have to do with you?"
"Besides, how much good do those lucky stars and all that other crap actually do?"
"Make people rich? Let them live to a hundred? Aren't they still fucking useless when danger strikes?"
"If the person attacked by Hilichurls today had been some millionaire, without you stepping in, wouldn't he just be taking all that money to meet the king of hell?"
"You save lives! Being alive is the foundation of every blessing, every fortune, every bit of good luck! Without a life, everything else is bullshit!"
"Are those people's brains screwed on wrong? They're actually afraid of you? If you ask me, you ought to rank first among all the Adepti!"
Xiu Yuan was furious. He ranted relentlessly about those people's twisted reasoning, determined to straighten out their idiotic ideas.
"It's all right, it's all right. Don't be angry. I'll treat you to Almond Tofu when we get back," Xiao said, finding himself comforting Xiu Yuan instead.
"No. Fuck eating. I'm not in the mood." Xiu Yuan refused outright.
"Two portions?"
"No."
"Three?!"
"..."
"Five!"
"Let's go!" Xiu Yuan's expression changed in an instant.
"Well, damn. You were just waiting for that, weren't you?" Even Xiao laughed at his antics.
"Hey, don't go making things up. I meant everything I just said," Xiu Yuan said earnestly.
"But seriously, how do you put up with this? Don't you think people like that aren't worth saving?"
Xiu Yuan did not understand what it felt like for an Adeptus whom mortals disliked to hear those same mortals call for him.
Even if Xiao knew how it would end, having someone call for him was already a blessing.
He dared not ask for too much.
He had never even considered receiving thanks or gratitude.
"An Adeptus answers every plea and asks for nothing in return."
"Cut the crap. I told you, Adepti are no different from mortals apart from living longer. You save someone, and they look at you in terror. Can you honestly feel good about that? Not a soul would believe you!"
Xiu Yuan mercilessly tore away Xiao's cover.
"I'm used to it."
"Don't worry. From now on, I'll go with you when you save people. I'd like to see which little bastards dare look at you like that. I'll gouge their eyes out."
Xiu Yuan rubbed his fists as he spoke indignantly.
At that moment.
The way Xiao looked at Xiu Yuan changed noticeably.
Something appeared in his eyes that had not been there for a thousand years.
It was his own tenderness.
It had been so long since Xiao had felt this kind of warmth. That warm, cozy feeling was so comforting...
Xiu Yuan's warmth had awakened the tenderness he had suppressed for so long.
Xiao had always been gentle and innocent. It was only his cruel fate that had stopped him from expressing his feelings to others.
During the Archon War, he had been enslaved and turned into a cold killing machine.
After Rex Lapis rescued him, he became a Yaksha who stood guard against the darkness.
Over that time, he had also endured the deaths of several companions, one after another.
In the end, he alone remained to fight the darkness.
The corrosive effects of karmic debt caused him unbearable pain.
The dark nights made solitude his habit.
Mortals' aversion made him cold and distant.
And his purest tenderness had long been locked away deep within his heart.
Now, Xiu Yuan's arrival had allowed him to bring that tenderness out again.
He knew Xiu Yuan was someone he could trust, someone he could treat with tenderness.
"Why are you looking at me like that? I'm telling you, I'm not into guys. Don't look at me in that creepy way."
Seeing such a tender gaze, Xiu Yuan felt a chill creep over him. He shuddered, then issued a stern warning.
"I never expected you to have such a serious side."
"What's that supposed to mean? When have I ever not been serious? I'm always serious."
"Yes, yes, you're serious. You're the most serious person of all," Xiao agreed.
The two returned to Wangshu Inn, where Xiao kept his promise and got Xiu Yuan five bowls of Almond Tofu.
Once they had eaten and drunk their fill, they went to sleep.
They did not get up until night fell.
The night belonged to them.
"Want another contest tonight?" This time, Xiao was the one to issue the challenge.
He still could not quite accept losing to Xiu Yuan yesterday.
"Bring it on. You think I'm scared of you?" Xiu Yuan gladly accepted, not the least bit intimidated.
"Same rules, same place."
"Then let's do it!"
The two became night watchmen who stood guard against the darkness, battling Evil Spirits through the night to protect Liyue's peace and well-being.
Only when the sun rose the next morning did they return to the meeting place they had agreed upon the night before.
"You go first again." Xiao knew Xiu Yuan was far from serious and might well lie.
"I killed even more than yesterday this time. Seventy-five." Xiu Yuan chuckled, sounding very proud.
"Sorry, then. You lost. I killed eighty today." Xiao savored the thrill of victory.
"You're bullshitting me! You didn't even reach sixty-eight yesterday, and today you killed eighty? I don't believe it!"
"That was different. I was in good form today."
"Don't forget what we said. Whoever lies goes bald, pisses in two streams, and gets erectile dysfunction. There's still time to tell the truth," Xiu Yuan reminded him kindly.
"Of course. Eighty means eighty. I wouldn't lie."
Seeing how confident Xiao was, Xiu Yuan knew he had lost.
"All right, then. We're tied for now. Neither of us owes the other anything," Xiu Yuan conceded.
"Fine. Do you dare go again tonight? You're going to lose badly."
Xiao issued his next challenge straightaway, apparently intent on leaving Xiu Yuan no chance to back out.
"Bring it on. Who's scared of you?" Xiu Yuan accepted the challenge as well.
As the two brimmed with fighting spirit, a tall man with gentle, handsome features slowly approached.
"Mr. Zhongli." Xiao paused briefly at the sight of him, then spoke softly.
"You don't have to pretend. I'm not an outsider. I know Zhongli is Rex Lapis."
Hearing Xiao address Zhongli that way, Xiu Yuan knew Zhongli had probably told Xiao not to reveal his identity to outsiders.
At those words, both Zhongli and Xiao froze, staring at Xiu Yuan in bewilderment.
There were so many fewer gifts yesterday. Do you guys not like Xiao much? Or did I not write him well...? Uh... I don't know either. There are plenty of requests for updates every day, but there are fewer gifts than before. I'll post just two updates for now today, then check the gifts and feedback in a bit. If both look good, I'll add more updates. If there are lots of gifts, I'll post another two chapters tonight.
Before you continue